HIST 1111 GHC Central Asia Western Europe and Byzantium

Choose one of the following activities.

Option 1:

Starting from segment 15:44 of The Silk Road, we have scholars debating whether or not Marco Polo actually traveled from Europe to Mongol-ruled China. Pay close attention to both arguments, and then, in about two paragraphs, explain whether you think it’s more likely that he did travel to China or that he had not traveled to China but was instead repeating what other people had written about China. Why do you think so?

After you have made your initial post, respond to at least two of your classmates.

Option 2:

Imagine that you are a traveler from Mongol-ruled China who has traveled to Western Europe in the 1200s. Describe the customs and lifeways of medieval Europe in a way that would be familiar to a reader from medieval China.

Remember that your answer needs to be at least two paragraphs long. When you reply to a fellow student, write as though you are a medieval Central Asian Turk or Chinese person trying to understand the lifeways and customs of the medieval Europeans. You need to reply to two fellow students.